Panel joint for adhesively bonded wall panels

Abstract

A vehicle body including top, bottom and opposite side walls each including a plurality of modular panel members adjoining one another in series relation. Each panel member is an integral pultrusion and includes a pair of spaced apart sheet members, a pair of spaced apart webs interconnecting the sheet members, and wedge-shaped male and female members that interfit with the male and female members of adjoing panel members. Adhesive material is provided at the joints between panel members to bond the panel members together. To prepare suitable bonding surfaces for the adhesive, fabric material can be pultruded as an integral part of the male and female members and peeled off prior to application of the adhesive to reveal clean, gritty textured surfaces.

We claim: 
     
       1. A vehicle body comprising a top wall,   a bottom wall,   opposite side walls extending between said top and bottom walls,   each of said walls including a plurality of modular panel members adjoining one another in series relation to form joints therebetween, each of said panel members including a pair of spaced apart sheet members, a pair of spaced apart webs integrally interconnecting said sheet members, and integral means for interfitting with adjoining ones of said panel members, said means for interfitting including a lengthwise extending female member including one of said webs and a pair of opposite tapered surfaces converging inwardly to said one web to define a wedge-shaped channel, and a complementary lengthwise extending wedge-shaped male member including the other of said webs and a pair of opposite tapered surfaces converging inwardly to said other web, said male member of each of said panel members being insertable into said channel of a corresponding one of said female members of an adjoining one of said panel members to form one of said joints, and   means for bonding together adjoining ones of said panel members, said means for bonding including an adhesive material in each of said joints,   wherein fit-up of a pair of said panel members having a corresponding pair of said male and female members is accomplished by applying said adhesive material to at least one of said opposite tapered surfaces on one of said male and female members in said corresponding pair and inserting said male member of said corresponding pair into said female member of said corresponding pair so that said tapered surfaces of said corresponding pair of male and female members cooperate to spread said adhesive material into a uniform layer therebetween and to minimize adhesive wipe-off.   
     
     
       2. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said top wall and said side walls includes an interior surface and an exterior surface contained within a pair of spaced apart parallel planes, wherein each of said sheet members of each of said panel members in said top and side walls includes an outwardly facing surface that forms a portion of one of said interior and exterior surfaces thereof, and wherein said joints in each of said top and side walls are confined entirely between said parallel planes thereof. 
     
     
       3. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for bonding is nonintrusive into said panel members, and is confined between said parallel planes of one of said top and side walls. 
     
     
       4. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein each one of said joints includes means for guiding a cutting tool so that adjoining ones of said panel members can be separated from one another, said means for guiding a cutting tool defining an interior gap within said one joint. 
     
     
       5. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said male members and said channels of said female members has a depth in a lateral direction, and wherein the depth of each of said channels is greater than the depth of each of said male members so that corresponding ones of said male and female members form a laterally extending gap therebetween. 
     
     
       6. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein said webs of the corresponding ones of said female and male members at each of said joints are laterally spaced apart and define therebetween an interior reservoir for receiving excess adhesive material. 
     
     
       7. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said panel members is a panel pultrusion made of a composite material, each of said panel pultrusions including removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface for said adhesive material, said removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface including a fabric material integrally pultruded as part of said panel pultrusion. 
     
     
       8. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said panel members of each of said walls is made of a fiber reinforced plastic composite material and is formed by pultrusion so that each of said panel members is an integrally formed and seamless one-piece member. 
     
     
       9. A vehicle body as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vehicle body includes a frame supporting said walls, wherein said frame includes a plurality of horizontal members and vertical members, and wherein at least some of said horizontal and vertical members include one of a female member and a male member so that said at least some of the horizontal members and vertical members can be interfitted with said panel members as part of one of said walls. 
     
     
       10. A wall assembly comprising first and second panel pultrusions, said first and second panel pultrusions each including a longitudinal pultrusion axis, said axes being parallel to one another, and each of said panel pultrusions including laterally spaced apart sides,   means for forming a joint between said first and second panel pultrusions, said means for forming a joint including an integral wedge-shaped male member formed on said first panel pultrusion, said male member extending parallel to said pultrusion axes, and said male member including a pair of outwardly facing tapered surfaces converging inwardly toward one of said sides of said first panel pultrusion, and a complementary integral female member on said second panel pultrusion, said female member including opposing inwardly facing tapered surfaces converging inwardly to one of said sides of said second panel pultrusion to define a tapered channel extending parallel to said pultrusion axes, said male member being insertable into said channel of said female member, and   an adhesive material, said adhesive material being located between one of said tapered surfaces of said female member and one of said tapered surfaces of said male member, and between the other of said tapered surfaces of said female member and the other of said tapered surfaces of said male member to form a double seal at said joint, wherein said tapered surfaces of said male and female members cooperate to spread said adhesive material into a pair of uniform layers between said male and female members when said male member is inserted into said female member.   
     
     
       11. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for forming a joint between said first and second panel pultrusions includes means for defining a guide for a cutting tool so that said first and second panel pultrusions can be separated, said means for defining a guide including said one side of each of said first and second panel pultrusions, said one side of each of said first and second panel pultrusions defining an interior gap within said joint. 
     
     
       12. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said first and second panel pultrusions is made of a composite material, and each of said first and second panel pultrusions includes removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface for said adhesive material, said removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface including a fabric material integrally pultruded as part of said panel pultrusions. 
     
     
       13. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said first and second panel pultrusions are pultruded with said fabric material over each of said tapered surfaces of each of said male and female members. 
     
     
       14. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said one side of each of said first and second panel members are laterally spaced from each other and define therebetween an interior reservoir for receiving excess adhesive material. 
     
     
       15. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said male member forms an interference fit with said female member so that said one side of each of said first and second panel pultrusions are prevented from contacting one another. 
     
     
       16. A vehicle body comprising a plurality of wall assemblies interconnected to define an interior space, each of said wall assemblies including   a plurality of modular panel pultrusions adjoining one another in series relation to form joints therebetween, each of said panel pultrusions being made of a composite material, and each of said panel pultrusions including a pair of spaced apart sheet members, a pair of spaced apart webs integrally interconnecting said sheet members, and integral means for interfitting with adjoining ones of said panel pultrusions, said means for interfitting including an integral lengthwise extending female member including one of said webs, and a pair of opposite tapered surfaces converging inwardly to said one web, and a complementary integral lengthwise extending wedge-shaped male member including the other of said webs, and a pair of opposite tapered surfaces converging inwardly to said other web, said male member of each of said panel pultrusions being insertable into a corresponding one of said female members of an adjoining one of said panel pultrusions to form one of said joints, and   means for bonding together adjoining ones of said panel pultrusions, said means for bonding including an adhesive material in each of said joints.   
     
     
       17. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein each one of said joints includes means for guiding a cutting tool so that adjoining ones of said panel pultrusions can be separated from one another, said means for guiding a cutting tool defining an interior gap within said one joint. 
     
     
       18. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein each of said male member and said female member of each of said panel pultrusions has a depth in a lateral direction, and wherein the depth of each of said female members is greater than the depth of the corresponding one of said male members so that the corresponding ones of said male and female members form a laterally extending gap therebetween, and wherein said gap is defined between said webs of the corresponding ones of said male and female members. 
     
     
       19. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said webs of the corresponding ones of said female and male members at each of said joints are laterally spaced apart and define therebetween an interior reservoir for receiving excess adhesive material. 
     
     
       20. A wall assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein each of said panel pultrusions includes removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface for said adhesive material, said removable means for providing a roughened bonding surface including a fabric material integrally pultruded as part of each of said panel pultrusions, said fabric material extending over each of said tapered surfaces of said male and female members of each of said panel pultrusions.